Providing 'Mind Care' Counseling for Employees Experiencing Mental Distress Due to Malicious Complaints
Conducting Online Self-Diagnosis for All Employees to Assess Mental Health... Aiming to Create a 'Jungnang-gu Office Where Everyone Wants to Work'
Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) has taken steps to care for employees exhausted by malicious complaints and stress.
Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, stated, “The happiness of employees directly translates to the happiness of residents,” showing keen interest in improving employee welfare. The area of greatest concern is employees’ ‘mental health.’
With the increasing diversity of administrative service demands, employees often face multiple tasks and exposure to malicious complaints, causing psychological difficulties. The initiative aims to care for employees’ mental health so they can have emotionally stable and happy work lives.
The district first conducted an online psychological assessment for all employees to reflect on their mental health status. Through online self-diagnosis, tests measuring stress awareness and depression were conducted to assess mental health. Employees can immediately check their results after the test, and if professional help is needed, they can directly book a ‘Mind Care’ counseling session from the results screen.
‘Mind Care’ is a professional psychological counseling program provided by the district for employees. Counseling covers a wide range of issues, from personal psychological problems to job stress and family matters. Multiple counseling centers are available, allowing employees to choose their preferred center and time for sessions.
If desired by the client, non-face-to-face counseling via phone or chat is also available. This effort aims to increase accessibility so employees can use the service without burden.
Based on the test results of all employees, the district plans to prepare an analysis report and design support programs that can be offered at the organizational level.
The district is also continuously working to create a ‘Jungnang-gu Office where employees want to come to work.’ In particular, it actively supports workplace clubs to invigorate work life. There are a total of 20 active clubs in the district, including sports clubs such as soccer, baseball, and tennis, as well as hobby clubs like calligraphy and board games.
Additionally, the ‘Half-Day Jungnang Tour,’ where employees spend half the day working and half recharging, is a unique welfare program exclusive to Jungnang-gu. Designed to give employees who spend most of their day at their desks battling computers a chance to tour Jungnang-gu’s landmarks for half a day, it aims to enhance understanding of the local area and provide opportunities for employee bonding. Since its launch last year, it has received great enthusiasm from employees.
Furthermore, as the number of low-tenure public officials leaving their posts has recently increased, programs are being operated to help them adapt well to public service. A mentoring program has been established to allow juniors to seek help from seniors during difficult times, and an ordinance revision is underway to expand special leave for public officials with less than five years of service who have limited vacation days.
Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi said, “Believing that happy employees can provide better administrative services to residents, we spare no effort to improve employee welfare,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to create an environment where employees can work with stability and a sense of fulfillment.”
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